Tim Floyd was not found to have violated any NCAA rules. (Photo: Brian Kanof)
EL PASO, Texas – Am I the only one who thinks Myron Strong is throwing stones from a glass house? The dismissed UTEP basketball player took to the airwaves, cyberspace and any other media outlet to relay his disdain for head coach Tim Floyd.
MinerRush.com ran an exclusive interview on Thursday, where Strong made some disparaging remarks about his former coach. The Memphis native alluded to threatening actions towards former teammates, recruiting improprieties, and a vendetta carried out by the Miner basketball coach.
Does the former guard have a case? Let’s look at some of his comments (as told to Miner Rush):
Strong begins the interview saying that he was supposedly kicked off the team for violating dorm rules, but follows the comment with an open admission of failing a previous drug test. Granted, he goes on to say that most of the team failed the test. But he’s so far, the only player to have violated any possible probationary status after the failed test.
Wouldn’t it make more sense for Floyd to put all those players who failed the test on a short leash, or “zero tolerance” for violating a major rule? So, Myron, your dismissal couldn’t have been for a variety of issues, (tardiness to practice, poor work ethic, drugs, etc), just the one dorm violation, right?
Next, Strong comments on the unfairness of college coaching towards him. Well, that makes sense. Strong will be on his fourth team in as many years and with that many transfers it can’t possibly be a player attitude problem, right? As my colleague, Carlos M. Silva, Jr., likes to say, “I’m just sayin’.”
By the way, Myron, I saw you plenty of times last year make fun or mimic former assistant coach Randall Dickey behind his back in a not so playful way. If you don’t respect the coaches around you, how do you expect the coaches to respect you? Again, Myron is not the problem, it’s the NCAA coaching fraternity.
Right.
Strong goes on to mention that Floyd had him pegged from “Day 1″ and a “bum”. You want my first impression of Strong when I first talked with him and saw him practice?
Too bad, here it is.
He’s a decent person but not a serious one. He’s a self-proclaimed “jokester” and his approach to practice or games is anything but “businesslike”.
Would I call you a “bum”, no, but I would call you expendable given your lack of preparation, careless approach to practice and absent desire to excel. There were usually two players in the gym before and after practice and you rarely, if ever, joined them.
Myron goes on to make the allegation that Floyd badmouthed Derrick Caracter and threatened Arnett Moultrie with his scholarship. Again, it amazes me how this team can support Caracter who abandoned them at their lowest point and clearly displayed his own personal agenda above the teams.
As you mentioned, Myron, Caracter wasn’t with the team when you all first met Floyd. That’s because Caracter took the first opportunity to desert his teammates and do what he had always planned to do the moment he first stepped into El Paso. Play one year, play well and turn pro. He didn’t care about the team in the slightest or else he would have at least accompanied you on the plane back to El Paso. So, if Floyd “badmouthed” Caracter, good, because most of El Paso felt the same way.
As for Moultrie, what did he have to prove working out for scouts? He was not a legitimate prospect and didn’t want to stay with the team and focus on a standout junior year, spoke volumes to Floyd and Miner Fans. He didn’t want to be in Floyd’s system where he would be held accountable and proved it by rejecting an ultimatum of choosing the NBA or UTEP. We saw Moultrie regress in the past season and the coddling he received from former coach Tony Barbee. Floyd was not going to cater to Moultrie or anyone else on that team and Moultrie made the best decision for him.
Lastly, the disgruntled guard alludes to repetitive NCAA violations by Floyd and most of the NCAA coaches. He states that coaches use players so that “they could benefit financially.”
Really, and you don’t? Coaches have a job, and that job is to win games. In order to win games, they NEED players.
Players also have an agenda.
That agenda includes receiving an athletic scholarship and a chance to tryout for “The League” (although some aren’t delusional and do care about their education). So, you have something the coaches need and they have something you need … hmm. Sounds like a classic “give and take”.
I’m tired of hearing players whine about getting “used” because the system doesn’t use them any more than they use the system. These players are not just given a chance to play ball at a higher level but are given the opportunity to get an education.
Let’s be honest, are many of these kids college bound if it weren’t for basketball? I’m not just talking about academic prowess, but many are from economically disadvantaged homes and a basketball scholarship is their only ticket to a college degree. That’s taking advantage of the system.
At the end of the day nobody wins here and it’s a shame that all parties are coming out of this with black eyes. I understand that Myron is upset and is there a grain of truth to his statement, possibly, but to take it as the whole truth is naive and irresponsible.
Happy trails Myron …
Danny Levario can be reached at show@minerillustrated.com.
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Danny, I can’t disagree with you. At some point in their lives people who are irresponsible and blame others for situations they find themselves in come to a self realization that they are the problem for the misery that seems to be following them around. The person that is able to figure this out straightens up and gets their act together. They become productive in society.
Those that don’t ever “get it”, end up incarcerated, homeless, or feed off of friends and families. At least until the friends or families cut them out of their lives because they realize the person they have been helping has basically become a a leach. A leach that chooses not to help himself.
We all know someone who ALWAYS says “it was “someone else’s fault!”
- This is the “person” who would get a traffic ticket for double parking downtown, but blames it on the long line inside the bank or the store.
- This is the “person” who gets away with illegal activites, and the one time he was actually not doing anything wrong, he was hanging out with people who were doing illegal stuff and…Damn! The place got raided by the cops!
- This is the type of “person” who just seems to ALWAYS be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- This is the type of “person” who can never move up the ladder at work because he has “write ups” within the past year— yet blames the system or his bossess for never “letting” him advance.
We all know someone like this person.
Mr. Strong will need to grow up at some point in his life. He is still young and there is still time for him.
He may be a “great guy” as described by some of his team mates, but he still needs to take a hard look in the mirror. I wish him the best of luck. I truly hope he can turn his life around and stop blaming others for his misfortune.
Like they say no one player is above the team or maybe it was no three players are above the team. Strong doesn’t exactly have the best track record and not even close to the talent level of AM or DC. His loss will hurt the Miners depth, but at the end of the day the Miners will be better without him. I just wish UTEP and Coach Floyd would have handled the PR side of things differently.
Right on the money!
There is little doubt TF and TB are totally different in their coaching approach. Having said this, should TF be chastised for expecting players to meet the requirements/expectations of the coaching staff, team and university? The majority of all successful coaches, including Coach K and Coach Cal. would have not done things any differently than Floyd. As a Memphian Strong knows well Coach Cal’s tolerance level……I assure you is no different than Floyd’s.
Secondly, if Floyd was only concerned with winning, he would have coddled, pampered and coaxed each player. After losing Caracter, Moreland and Moultrie I doubt Floyd was looking to lose anyone else from the program.. Whatever prompted Floyd’s action had to be significant.
Last, I keep hearing media outlets mentioning Strong’s assertion others failed the drug test, while it’s possible it may be true, it is not something which the coaching staff or university would make public or post on the locker room wall. Perhaps I’m wrong, but any drug testing information is confidential. Strong can speculate or base it on hearsay, but I seriously doubt it came from the staff or school.
I wish Strong well at Victory U. or Azusa Pacific and hope he finds the system and/or coach he seeks. Most important, if his basketball career doesn’t continue after college, I hope he completes his degree and finds success in the future.
Puga, you “just wish UTEP and Coach Floyd would have handled the PR side of things differently”? HOW? UTEP released a short statement stating he was no longer at the school for violating school and athletic policies and that they would not be commenting further. PERIOD.
They took the high road. THEY didn’t go out there and slander the kid. THEY didn’t go put his business in the streets. STRONG went out and slandered Coach Floyd and bad mouthed anyone and everyone.
Only then did Coach Floyd make a statement and that statement included mentioning a “drug violation” and the fact that this will be Strong’s FOURTH school in four years.
How EXACTLY should UTEP and Coach Floyd have handled this differently? Release a statement airing dirty laundry? Slander the kid?
Or should they have released a short statement, with no further comment, leaving the door open for a possible one year of playing time in a D-1 program somewhere ELSE? Oh, wait, that’s what they did.
66-I also thought about the “public nature” of these test results but we all know these kids talk and Strong was probably just relaying the conversations he had with this teammates/friends earlier this year. Those records are not made public by the school or NCAA and to be honest, I’m surprised Floyd even mentioned it. I guess he can since Strong is no longer a student. Not sure what the rules are here so, I may be wrong.
Anyway, thanks for the feedback everyone and here’s to starting anew for Mr. Strong and the UTEP Miners basketball team!
Daniel, to use your quote…”Only then did Coach Floyd make a statement and that statement included mentioning a “drug violation” and the fact that this will be Strong’s FOURTH school in four years.” That’s the only specific issue that I felt could have been handled differently.
In my opinion, I think CTF just repeating the same statement the school released and leaving it alone would have sufficed. This was a reserve guard who averaged just a shade over 3 points per game not a Randy Culpepper with a heck of a lot more credibilty than Strong. Strong was obviuosly pissed off and reacted foolishy. I get he made some pretty strong accusations, but i think less would have been more in this case. I wish we weren’t even discussing this, but great article and discussion by all. I agree with the decision that was made and I just hope this blows over quickly so the rest of the team and coaches can get ready for this upcoming season.
TIm Floyd, keep up the good work. Myron- Welcome to the real world. I know someday you probably had plans for your own show on MTV and this puts that in jeopardy. I know it’s hard finding out that everything does not revolve around you. Unfortunately this is the direction that college sports has taken in the last few years. When players started pulling on their jerseys it was confirmation that the attitude Myron has is rampant in sport- especially college basketball. Some AAU handler is partially responsible for his behavior as I’m sure he was built up as a superstar in the making during his youth. His 15 minutes of fame clock in waning so why not go out with a bang. There are some great humble athletes but it seems that the media craves those that like the spotlight. SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!
My point regarding Strong’s comments were meant to indicate hearsay information, perceived knowledge of what he thought someone did or even a player seriously or jokingly saying “yeah me too” remains only speculation and not fact. The actual test results for each player are the actual document which applies. And, it is very unlikely Strong saw or was given access to the actual test results.
The public relations question is interesting. The national media I watched last night all had the Jeff Darby comment, nothing more. The Tim Floyd comment was blogged by Dan Wolken who has a reputation of stirring the pot. That’s his style and he does it well. I didn’t say he was always completely factual. only he stirred the pot. What I find interesting is he was able to get Floyd to take his call. With Wolkin’s history of UTEP bashing, I’m surprised he had such a “revealing” conversation with Floyd! I doubt Floyd has him on speed dial! However, the local interview with Strong and the Wolken blog play well for Memphis and they will be used as cannon fodder by schools recruiting against us in Little Rock, Memphis and Mississippi. Justified or not, true or not, they will be used regardless of any follow-up statements by UTEP or Coach Floyd.
Michigan State transfer Chris Allen on currently on visit to UTEP!!!!!!